Changes
by Aerilon452
Summary: Sharon has a hard time dealing after she notified a mother her two children were dead. Andy goes after her, offering his support and more. ONE SHOT. COMPLETE. Set immediately after S3 premiere.


Summary: The recent case took its toll on Sharon, but Andy is there t help her through it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Major Crimes

Rating: T+

Pairing: Sharon and Andy

**CHANGES:**

Sharon was fighting the intense wave of tears threatening to overtake her. She had just had to tell a mother that her two children were dead, that they had been murdered. All through the notification she couldn't stop her mind picturing Rusty. She held her hand over her heart and turned when she heard footsteps behind her. Sharon couldn't handle it if someone saw her like this, if a uniformed officer caught her hovering near the edge of an emotional breakdown. Arms surrounded her, arms she knew belonged to Andy. At first he startled her and she fought against his hold until he whispered to her.

Andy followed Sharon after she had finished her notification. He couldn't let her go through with this all alone. Not in the state she was while they had been in her office. Andy shook his head when Provenza gave him a curious glance. It wasn't going to stop him from what he knew he had to do. Rounding the corner, he found her down a small side hallway that no one used. Sharon was standing by the end of the hall with her back to him. When he stopped her behind her, he could see her shoulder's shaking. Andy reached out to her, wrapped his arms around her. Momentarily she fought, but he held tighter applying pressure to her sympathetic nervous system to help calm her down. "It's ok, give it a few minutes." Andy said as she sank into him.

Sharon let Andy hold her, knowing that she needed the human contact even as she felt her pulse slowing. "It shouldn't have turned out like this." She shuddered. Sharon turned in his arms, wrapping her arms his shoulders, and hiding her face in the side of his neck. Sharon tried to reign in her breathing, tried to calm her heart. She took this time to be still, to just feel Andy's arms around her, holding her tight. "I don't know…" The words rushed together but all Andy did was whisper to her, to soothe her, and she needed to have him just hold her.

"Shh…" Andy whispered, his lips close to her ear. "Just let me hold you." He said resting his cheek against the side of her head. There was no rush for her to be back in the squad room no pressing need for her to finish reports. All she needed was to be held, to let it all sink in, and give her the time she needed to move on. As much as he knew she needed this human contact, he needed it as well. This case shook him up, if she had allowed him to do the notification, he would have needed her like this. "It'll be ok."

Sharon breathed deeply, taking in Andy's scent in an attempt to pull herself together. She brought her hands up against Andy's chest, "Its days like this that almost make me question why I do this job." Sharon whispered truthfully. "But then, we put the killers behind bars, and throw away the key. That makes all this pain worth it." Andy tightened his arms on Sharon, and this time, she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"We do this job because no one else can." Andy said gently kissing the top of her head. "This just happens to be one of the bad days. I'm always here for you when the days get terrible." He promised smiling lightly when she squeezed him. They held each other for a few more seconds before letting go. Right now, they were at work, they had to be careful on what sort of affection they showed each other. "Do you want me to come by later?" He asked. She wasn't the only one having trouble dealing with this case.

Sharon thought to decline having Andy at the condo, but even as the words formed on her lips she stopped them. Taking a breath she said instead, "Wait for my text, after Rusty goes to bed." Andy opened his mouth to say something. Sharon stopped him by adding, "It's the only way I can do this right now." To this he nodded. There was so much they were dealing with, and the stress of finding their way in some new relationship was taking its toll on the both of them.

**MIDNIGHT:**

Andy stood outside Sharon's door waiting for her to invite him in. He hoped she hadn't changed her mind about letting him spend the night with her, letting him settle his rattled nerves, and hers. The thought to turn and leave nearly had him stepping away from her door when he heard the lock click, releasing. Then Andy was looking at Sharon, seeing the residual horror of the case lingering in her gaze. She stepped back, allowing him inside where Andy immediately gathered her in his arms.

Sharon didn't know what she was doing. Andy was with her, he was holding her, and that should have felt wrong because she was married, her foster son was in the room down the hall, but Andy's arms around her made all that fall from concern. Andy was here. He was with her. He was holding her. That was all that mattered. She stepped back from him, closed the door, and then too his hand leading him to her bed before she could change her mind. Sharon stopped again, in front of her bedroom door pulling Andy's arms around her waist while her eyes looked down the hall at Rusty's door. It was the weekend, he didn't have classes, so that meant he was wearing his headphones, playing music in his sleep. It was now or never.

Andy kept his arms where Sharon had put them as he waited for her to make the next choice for him to follow. All of this had to be her choice. Andy wasn't going to push her. He was going to wait. After all he'd made it this far with her, he could be patient for a little while longer as she made up her mind as to what to do next., but Andy couldn't help but to say, "We don't have to do this." His voice was nothing more than a whisper. "We can take this step another time."

"No," Sharon turned in his embrace, "We need this." She brought her hands up to cup his face. After the last few weeks, Sharon needed a night to feel like she was a human, like she wasn't a cop, just a woman. Bringing her left hand away from his face, she reached behind her, searching for the door knob. A few fumbling seconds later and the door was swinging quietly open with her and Andy walking into her room. Her heart was galloping a hundred miles a minute.

Andy let go of Sharon so he could close the bedroom door while he tried to keep his breathing even, tried to appear calm for her benefit when he felt nothing other than excitement. Sharon kept her eyes from him, instead she busied herself removed the tan pillows from her neatly made bed. He smirked at her actions. This is what he had imagined her doing a hundred times before. Going to her, he rested his hands on her hips. In response to his touch, she froze for a moment, and then relaxed. This was still so new for her. It was probably so unsettling because technically they were committing adultery, or would be committing it.

Sharon once more turned to Andy, this time her hands went to his tie. Slowly she pulled the silk free of the knot, slipping it free of the collar of his shirt. . All the while her eyes remained locked with his. She wanted him to see her determination, to see that she wasn't going to back out of this. Sharon let the tie fall from her fingers to the floor. The next move was his to make, and make it he did. Andy pulled her close, his lips going to hers kissing her, letting the passion build between them.

Andy slid his hands over her hips to the small of her back, his fingers into the fabric of her dress shirt. Gently he tugged the hem of her shirt free from the waist band of her pants, the desire to touch her was becoming too much to ignore. Andy pulled back, breaking for air, and took this time to unbutton her shirt. He was halfway down when she stopped him. Andy looked a question in his eyes.

Sharon just smiled lightly, placing her hands on his chest, sliding them up under his suit jacket to push the fabric down his arms so it could join the tie on the floor. Then her fingers were free to work free the buttons of his shirt. Sharon knew her hands were trembling against his chest, shaking from the newness of everything happening between them. "I shouldn't be shaking like this." Sharon finished unbuttoning Andy's shirt and rested her hands flat on his chest.

"It's ok," Andy smoothed his hands down her arms. "We have all night." Taking a deep breath, he finished what he had started by pulling the rest of her shirt free from the waist band of her pants. Then starting from the bottom, he set to work on removing the shirt from her body as slowly as he could so as not to spook her. She dug her fingers into his shirt, but remained where she was. The last button parted allowing him to slip his hands under the fabric to rest them on her shoulders before pushing it down her arms.

**MORNING:**

Sharon slipped from between the sheets of her bed while being careful not to wake Andy as he still slumbered. She crouched down, picking up his shirt to put on before creeping to the door and opening it listening for any sign that Rusty was awake. To her relief the condo was still dark. Tip toeing out of her room, Sharon went to the couch in the living room where she sat, her back pressed against the arm rest and her legs drawn up to her chest. The collar of Andy's shirt brushed her jaw. She could still feel him as she took him into her bed for the first time. Every kiss, every gasp, and every single way he had taken her; all of it replayed for her. Sharon looked at her fingers, still feeling the way she dug her nails into her headboard, the way she had set them into his shoulders the moment her release was close.

Andy rolled over, half-awake half asleep, still expecting to have Sharon against him. The night's pleasurable pursuits were still tingling and racing along his skin. When his hand touched the vacant space, he came to full consciousness. She wasn't there. Scrubbing his hands over his face, he sat up and looked at the clock. It was just after 3am. Retrieving his pants, Andy pulled them on, zipped and buttoned them, before silently leaving her bedroom. He crept down the hall where he found her sitting in the corner of the couch, her back to him. Andy shook his head walking around the couch getting her attention. "Trouble sleeping?" He whispered gaining her attention.

Sharon looked up at Andy, "I don't know what woke me," She confessed motioning to the space next her. Andy sat down taking her ankles in his hands where he pulled her legs away from her chest and over his lap. Sharon couldn't help but smile at his gesture. "I just woke up and saw you sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to wake you." She said, still keeping her voice barely above a whisper. It was the truth, mainly because she couldn't pinpoint exactly what had woken her. Was it her guilt? Was it regret? What was it? The one thing she knew for sure was that she felt better than she had earlier in the evening.

"Sharon, you're not…?" Andy found he couldn't ask if she was feeling guilty over what they had done. He wasn't, he knew that. Today had been difficult, full of stress, and it all ended with Sharon making a notification that broke her heart. Gently he rubbed his hand up and down her shin wishing he knew what he could say.

'I don't know.' Was what Sharon wanted to say, but it was lacking, so she took a breath reaching for another explanation. "I don't normally do this." She said. "I'm not guilty, or filled with regret." Sharon looked out the sliding glass door of her balcony seeing the dark skies of LA. "I guess, I just…"

"Needed to feel human?" Andy asked because it was what he had needed after their case was closed. "I know it's what I needed." He told her leaning his head back, letting a sigh escape from between his lips. Sharon turned to him the relief present in her eyes, though he wasn't sure what the relief was for.

"Is it bad to say that I just needed to feel better?" Sharon asked sitting up. Andy angled his body towards her, his hands leaving her legs to once more reside on her hips. His answer to her question was to lean in and kiss her gently, letting his lips rest to hers. Sharon draped her arms over his shoulder holding him against her.

"Better" Andy asked, teasing in his tone, when he pulled back a fraction of an inch so he could look into her eyes. Everyone had been shaken by what had happened to the two missing children. The two most affected by it had been Sharon and Sanchez. Julio Flynn couldn't help, but he was glad he could be here for Sharon, to help her as much as he could.

"Much," Sharon replied. She untangled herself from Andy, stood up from the couch, and then held out her hand to him. "I think we should go back to bed." She was certain about what she wanted now. Andy made her feel things in ways that Jack never could. Then again, that's why she was attracted to Andy, he saw her, he was there for her when she wasn't sure what she needed, and he supported her no matter what.

Andy chuckled taking Sharon's hand getting up to follow her back to her room. This time her hand holding his didn't shake. Her grip was certain, strong, and without hesitation. Andy liked that about Sharon the most; when she made a choice, she never wavered. The door to her bedroom opened again with them walking inside once more. Though, this time, it would be to sleep. Andy knew that he would be just as content to hold Sharon in sleep as he would be making love to her.

Sharon let go and Andy's hand going to the bed where she shed his shirt before resuming her place under the sheets. Her head hit the pillow with sleeping demanding her to close her eyes, willingly she obeyed. Breathing out slowly she felt like she was falling into the deep embrace of a black oblivion where dreams were waiting for her. Sharon was barely aware of Andy crawling in next to her, his arm draping over her waist, of his lips touching her brow. She was falling weightlessly into sleep.

Andy curled close to Sharon watching her slide deeply into slumber. Gently he brushed her hair back from her brow. He wasn't ready to fall back to sleep, to lose the precious sight of her. With all that he could he fought to keep his eyes open, to keep watching her, but the more he watched her, the more his own need for sleep preyed upon him. Soon, he too, would fall victim to it once more. Andy was unconscious before he knew it.

**LATER IN THE MORNING:**

Sharon woke feeling rested and rejuvenated, but with this sense that more time had slipped by than had been intended. Sitting up, she held the sheet close to her torso noticing that Andy was gone. Peeking over the edge of the bed, his clothes were gone. For a moment she feared that he'd snuck out without so much as a goodbye, but then voices caught her attention. Turning her attention to the closed bedroom door she could barely make out Andy's voice, along with Rusty's. Sharon covered her face with her hands trying to keep the wave of embarrassment from fully taking over. Logically she knew this shouldn't be weird. Andy and Rusty interacted all the time, just never in her condo. Getting out of bed, Sharon got dressed in jeans; a loose fitting scoop neck t-shirt in a navy blue and tried to compose her features into a neutral mask for when she walked out of her room.

Out in the kitchen Andy listened for the sound of Sharon's door opening. He'd woken up at 8am making sure that she still slumbered deeply. After the emotional toll the case had taken on Sharon, Andy wanted to make sure she had plenty of sleep to wash away the last bit of despair. When he'd left Sharon's room, he found Rusty already at the stove making breakfast. Was this going to be awkward? Andy really hoped not. Rather than Rusty being his usual self, the young man asked him if he wanted coffee and breakfast. There were no questions about why he was there or why Sharon hadn't gotten up yet. Andy was nearly finished with his first cup of coffee when Sharon appeared. He smiled and waited for things to get weird.

Sharon stood at the bar top next to Andy waiting for Rusty to ask her a million questions that she didn't know how to answer at the moment. So, instead she asked, "What's for breakfast?" Casting Andy a sidelong glance she saw that coffee had already been brewed. Suddenly she was in desperate need of caffeine. Going to the cabinet she retrieved a mug, and poured herself some of the black liquid that was second only to air. Since coming to work in Major Crimes, Sharon found that relied more and more on coffee than she had needed to in Internal Affairs. The first sip taken, Sharon was more alert and awake.

Rusty finished the eggs, putting them in a bowl next to the bacon that had already been cooked up, and the toast. When he was up before Sharon, he would make breakfast for her. "Just something simple," He answered turning to smile at Sharon trying not to feel guilty over going behind her back to see his mom in rehab, which he hadn't told her about yet. The right time just hadn't come upon them yet. "I saw your door still closed and thought I would make something easy just in case you got called to a crime scene."

"Thank you," Sharon smiled resting her hand on his shoulder before moving away from the counter so her foster son could finish up. She took her coffee mug over to where Andy stood, and while Rusty's back was turned; she angled her head and kissed him good morning. "Good morning," Sharon whispered and then took another sip of her coffee.

"Did you sleep ok?" Andy asked quietly setting his mug aside to assess Sharon. To his eyes she looked well rested, and even satisfied. It was good to see her in high spirits. The toll of the other day had finally being washed away from her. Andy was happy that he could help with that. Her smile was his answer, as well as the light in her eyes.

"So, Sharon, are you and Lt. Flynn dating now?" Rusty asked nonchalantly when he turned seeing Sharon and Flynn standing close together.

"Rusty?!" Sharon felt shock radiate through her at his question while behind her Flynn laughed trying to cover it up with a cough. "Why would you ask something like that?"

"Cause he's here, in the morning, and you were still sleeping." Rusty pointed grabbing three plates to take to the table. "I assume he's staying for breakfast." He was having too much fun with this. Early this morning, he got out of bed, opened his door with the intention of going to the kitchen to get some water when he heard Sharon talking with Flynn.

Flynn shook his head taking Sharon's hand for a second before he said, "I stayed here on the couch last night to make sure that," He glanced at her, "Sharon was ok after the case was closed." From the moment Sharon knew she was able to make the notification that it would torture her. She was a mother keeping another mother from knowing the true fate of her children.

Rusty stopped setting the table to look at the both of them. "Oh, right, those two kids." He said feeling sorry for what happened to them. Looking at Sharon he asked, "How bad was it for you?" He hadn't been in the squad room that day, during the case, because he'd been at a rehab facility visiting his mom.

Sharon moved from Andy's side and went to Rusty. "I chose not to tell a mother that her children were murdered because I knew she wasn't telling me the truth." She felt the guilt rising again. "I let her believe that her kids could be saved and then I took that hope away when I made my notification." Tears filled her eyes again.

"But you found the killer right?" Rusty asked and then he wrapped his arms around Sharon sensing she needed the hug of a son to his mother. Even though his mom was in rehab, and he loved her, Sharon was his mother as well. He loved her just as much.

Sharon wrapped her arms around Rusty, "Yes, we caught him." She answered pulling back from him and then she said, "I just kept thinking that under different circumstances, it could have been you." Sharon was afraid of losing Rusty.

"That will never be me." Rusty promised, even though he knew it was a hollow promise.

"I know," Sharon answered battling back the tears. During the SIS mission to draw out the man who had been threatening rusty, Sharon had nearly lost him. That scared her more than anything. She knew she would never let that happen again, if she had the power to protect him.

Rusty didn't know what drove him to repeat his promise, but he did, "That will never be me, I swear." Every day he lived on the street, he was faced with the very real possibility that something terrible could happen to him, yet he had to survive at the same time, and everything had worked out in the end. He found his way to Sharon.

"I know," Sharon repeated her response as well. She took a deep breath and stepped back. "We should eat while we have time. Who knows someone may commit murder today." The more she thought about this case, about what she did to that distraught mother, she found her heart aching more and more. Moving away from rusty, Sharon took her coffee cup, and Andy's, going back over to the pot for refills. She needed a moment to collect herself, to regain composure.

Andy nodded to Rusty, signaling that everything would be ok, and then he went to stand next to Sharon. Carefully he placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently showing her that he was giving her all the support he could. "You ok?" She nodded, but turned to him, and wrapped her arms around him. Andy could feel the subtle shaking in her body as she tried to get herself under control. "It will get better." He promised her.


End file.
